Mismatched Nvidia Driver Install Causes SteamVR Error Code 303

Valve has shed some light on why SteamVR users on Linux may be experiencing error code 303, which prevents them from launching VR games. The issue is not with SteamVR itself, but rather with the Nvidia driver installation.

A user reported the problem in a SteamVR tracker thread, and Valve responded that the driver's kernel module, 32-bit userspace libraries, and 64-bit userspace libraries must all be installed and exactly the same version for the driver to work properly. The user had experienced a mismatched install, which was causing the issue.

The problem is not unique to SteamVR or VR applications, as Valve noted that Vulkan was also broken on the system due to the mismatched install. The issue has been confirmed by others who have reported similar problems after upgrading their drivers or distributions.